Bedein: There is No 'Ceasefire' in Arabic Terminology

David Bedein explains that the Arabic terms used by Hamas to explain the ceasefire do not mean that rocket firing actually stops.

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Elad Benari, 23/08/11 04:13

Hamas Kassam Launcher

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While the Israeli media marvels at the continued rocket fire from Gaza despite the so-called ‘ceasefire’, David Bedein, head of the Israel Resource News Agency, Center for Near East Policy Research in Jerusalem is not surprised at all.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva on Monday, Bedein explained that the Arab terms ‘hudna’ and ‘tahadiya’, which are used by Hamas to describe the ceasefire, do not at all mean that the firing of rockets and missiles stops completely.

Bedein added that according to Islamic rules, these terms allow the individual who uses them to keep fighting or to stop the fighting as he wishes.

“They can attack and stop attacking whenever they want,” he said. “There is no connection between hudna and tahadiya and a ceasefire. You have to understand the terms.”

Bedein’s Center for Near East Policy has studied these terms carefully using four Middle East experts. He reminded what happened after three previous ‘ceasefires’ that were declared by Hamas: After the ceasefire announced in 2006 235 missiles and rockets were fired into Israeli territory; after the ceasefire announced in 2008 and which lasted six months, 538 missiles and rockets were fired; after the third ceasefire, which was signed after the IDF’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, no less than 912 missiles and rockets were fired into Israeli territory.

Bedein emphasized that the Israeli public must understand the differences in the terms and added that when Israelis hear the media mention a ceasefire they should point out the error to the media outlets and say that it is not a ceasefire but a hudna or a tahadiya. He also recommended that similar protest calls also be made to the President’s Residence, which he said helps spreads the ceasefire lie.

He added that the Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministry are not free from blame either, since they know what the terms mean and still do not explain them to the public. The reason for that, believes Bedein, is that “there are elements in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry who do not want to deal with a situation of total war with the Palestinian Authority.”

Residents in Ashkelon found themselves racing for cover several times throughout the night Monday as the Color Red air raid siren blared its warning, starting in the early evening.

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terrorist group had announced earlier Monday in a statement on its website that it would adhere to a Hamas-led ceasefire. However, more than a dozen rockets were fired Sunday night after the so-called truce was imposed.